Sunday 2 June 2013 07.00 EDT
First published on Sunday 2 June 2013 07.00 EDT

Last week, Amazon announced Kindle Worlds, a new initiative from its publishing arm, which is seeking new authors of fan fiction – stories by fans about their favourite works and characters – to create works for publication and pay. Amazon has already negotiated the right to do this with some of the biggest series in young adult fiction, including Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries, and promise many more, meaning authors whose work is selected for the programme can earn money writing about popular characters.

Fan fiction might be considered one of the native art forms of the internet. While it existed in many forms before the arrival of the web, particularly in science fiction, the ability to discuss and share across the internet has led to an explosion of activity. The fan fiction world has its own stars and communities, its own canon and tropes, alongside those it examines in original fiction. And it flourishes online because most of it is essentially illegal by virtue of its blatant disregard for copyright law.

So Amazon's move is a canny one – on two fronts. The first is that it makes a range of new works – and probably plenty of pre-existing ones – eligible for sale and profit. It also brings on board members of fan fiction communities, among the most voracious and socially connected readers.

But it's unlikely to change the landscape of online fiction. Fan fiction writers are, first and foremost, fans: passionate ones, sophisticated ones, and knowledgable about the culture they're writing for and about. And while Amazon's not-very-exciting payment terms might entice a few into the professional fold, many more will continue to write whatever they like online for the joy and social prestige of the thing itself. Nevertheless, the attempted legalisation and professionalisation of one of the weirder and most enjoyable subcultures of the internet marks a significant moment in the history of networked literature.